The origin of the term "hip hop" itself is unclear; but, over time, the term has taken on a life of its own. The movement that later became known as "hip hop" is said to have begun with the work of DJ Kool Herc, while competing DJ Afrika Bambaataa is often credited with having invented the term "hip hop" to describe the culture. A variety of mythical etymologies and complex meanings have been attached to the term and continue to propagate within the hip hop community. Kool DJ Herc (born Clive Campbell on April 16, 1955) is a Latin-Jamaican-American musician and producer, generally credited as a pioneer of hip hop during the 1970s. Afrika Bambaataa (born April 10 or October 4, 1960, though his birthdate is hotly debated; he himself refuses to comment on his age) is a DJ and community leader from the South Bronx, who in the late 1970s, was instrumental in the early development of hip hop.

The term has since come to be a synonym for hip hop music (or rap music) to mainstream audiences.